Doug Hart

Doug’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (0)
currently-reading‎ (0)
read‎ (346)
did-not-finish‎ (0)
non-fiction‎ (86)
fundamentals‎ (53)

stunners‎ (50)
mythoeroticfantasia‎ (40)
mind-vs-void‎ (38)
chuckles‎ (37)
big-dense-demanding‎ (29)
english-delights‎ (27)

altered-states‎ (25)
60s-new-wave‎ (21)
memoir‎ (21)
donnie-d-from-the-bronx‎ (14)
eastern-europe‎ (11)
nietzsche‎ (10)

smoke-inhalation‎ (10)
vollmann-studies‎ (10)
highly-overrated‎ (9)
victor-charlie‎ (8)
politics‎ (6)

Stats | More…

“When he was left alone, when he had pulled out one stop after another (for the work required it), Stanley straightened himself on the seat, tightened the knot of the red necktie, and struck. The music soared around him, from the corner of his eye he caught the glitter of his wrist watch, and even as he read the music before him, and saw his thumb and last finger come down time after time with three black keys between them, wringing out fourths, the work he had copied coming over on the Conte di Brescia, wringing that chord of the devil’s interval from the full length of the thirty-foot bass pipes, he did not stop. The walls quivered, still he did not hesitate. Everything moved, and even falling, soared in atonement.

He was the only person caught in the collapse, and afterward, most of his work was recovered too, and it is still spoken of, when it is noted, with high regard, though seldom played.”
― William Gaddis, The Recognitions

17 likes

“For whom is the funhouse fun? Perhaps for lovers. For Ambrose it is a place of fear and confusion. ”
― John Barth

9 likes

“The governor of Texas, who, when asked if the Bible should also be taught in Spanish, replied that ‘if English was good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me’.”
― Christopher Hitchens

tags: dumb, english, translations

349 likes

“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

3449 likes

“I just make the best book that I can and try to not worry about audience or if it will sell. The odds are against you, so why abuse your talent for the sake of a chimera? The only real pleasure for me in writing comes from pleasing myself. What readers think is interesting and illuminating (and it may even be correct), but that is nothing compared to the excitement of seeing a world develop. Besides, even though I like most individuals I meet, I have a pretty low opinion of people in general. So if I were to write for people in general, I would have to drastically lower my estimation of the intelligence of my reader. Rather than doing that, I write the way it seems the book has to appear. I don’t think that’s egotistic. There are often things I would like to include in my books—things about me personally and other materials—that I feel I have to leave out because they aren’t relevant to the book. I’m fairly ruthless along those lines, because I try to let nothing come in the way of what’s best for the book. If that means that the book won’t sell or that a publisher won’t buy it, then that’s my problem. I’ll suffer for that, but I won’t let the book suffer for it.”
― William T. Vollmann

tags: mccaffery-interview

48 likes

More of Doug’s quotes…